terrorism

Those who have destroyed the statues have also destroyed mosques, claiming they house shrines and idolatrous tombstones. They want to remove everything that stands as a reminder of the people who existed before, and destroy the roots of others in this land!

Russia's Foreign Minister, a man with a square-shaped logic and a square-shaped rhetoric, recently summed up Russia's "grand achievement" thus: That Moscow has finally convinced Washington that Arab dictators, both those who departed and those who are alive and killing, are better than Islamic terrorism.

Dr. Azmi Bishara

Creating Two Alleged Camps

In our time, not a day passes without seeing or hearing the words ‘extremism’ or ‘extremists.’ Whether used to describe political positions and opinions, or styles and methods of political action, at every point it connotes stereotypes and a host of pre-conceptions, half-truths, and assumptions concerning groups of people branded as extreme. 

The real problem here lies in the belief that responding to what is free speech to others, and provocation or even incitement for some individuals, is murder. Let us assume that what the French magazine published was itself in breach of free speech and was in fact an affront to religious beliefs. 

Most Arabs, like people everywhere, just want a better life and to live in safety. Terrorism, as dangerous as it is, is a transient phenomenon that does not constitute a social-political alternative to existing regimes.

In his paper, titled “What Defines Terrorism? The Identity of the Victim or the Victimizer?” Azmi Bishara offered precise answers to questions related to terrorism and its definitions. He used a comprehensive approach to the issues surrounding the terms “terrorism” and “war on terror”, which both hinder the correct understanding of such phenomena.